At McIntyre's Books
Andrew Lawler, Virginia Willis and more
Dear Gentle Reader,
School is out for most students this week. We want to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to our Ready Readers campaign to get books into the hands of rising third graders. The books have been delivered to schools and in the hands of their intended recipients! It is so important to keep your kids engaged with reading over the summer.
Have kids going off to camp? Need a quick and easy restock on summer reading for the young’uns and grandkids? Sarah has created some terrific book bundles for kids ages 8 through teens. Great reading at great prices including series firsts and favorite authors. The preassembled bundles are 3 books for $12 or less.
Another great weekend to spend in and around Fearrington. We got plenty of signed copies last weekend of David Sedaris’ latest collection of essays, Calypso. Pete and Keebe are of the opinion that it could be his best work. Most of these stories delve into familial relations, and as Mr. Sedaris has aged, his writing has changed as well. All that having been said, several times while reading this book in bed Keebe alarmed her dogs with unpredictable snorts of laughter.
On Saturday, Andrew Lawler uncovers some fascinating research into the Lost Colony. And we are honored to welcome the amazing Virginia Willis in her first visit to McIntyre’s. She is here to celebrate her latest cookbook, Secrets of the Southern Table.
Also coming up, mark your calendars for Saturday the 16th for the Chatham Literacy Council’s Scrabble competition. If you have a Scrabble game to lend them, they would be very appreciative. More information below, but if you want to play—sign up quickly as the deadline is June 9th!
Saturday, June 9th at 2pm
Andrew Lawler uncovers The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke
A sweeping account of America’s oldest unsolved mystery, the people racing to unearth its answer, and what the Lost Colony reveals about America today
In 1587, 115 men, women, and children arrived at Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina to establish the first English settlement in the New World. But when the new colony’s leader returned to Roanoke from a resupply mission, his settlers had vanished, leaving behind only a single clue – a “secret token” etched into a tree.
What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? That question has consumed historians, archeologists, and amateur sleuths for four hundred years. In The Secret Token, Andrew Lawler sets out on a quest to determine the fate of the settlers, finding fresh leads as he encounters a host of characters obsessed with resolving the enigma. In the course of his journey, Lawler examines how the Lost Colony came to haunt our national consciousness.
Incisive and absorbing, The Secret Token offers a new understanding not just of the Lost Colony and its fate, but of how its absence continues to define – and divide – America.
Andrew Lawler is author of two books and more than a thousand newspaper and magazine articles. A contributing writer for Science and contributing editor for Archaeology, he has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and others. His work has appeared several times in The Best of Science and Nature Writing.
Sunday, June 10th at 2pm
Virginia Willis shares Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South
In Secrets of the Southern Table, award-winning chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis takes you on a tour of today’s South—a region rich in history and cultural diversity. With her signature charm and wit, Virginia shares many well-known Southern recipes like Pimento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie and “Cathead” Biscuits, but also some surprising revelations drawn from the area’s many global influences, like Catfish Tacos with Avocado Crema, Mississippi-Style Char Siu Pork Tenderloin, and Greek Okra and Tomatoes. In addition to the recipes, Virginia profiles some of the diverse chefs, farmers, and other culinary influencers who are shaping contemporary Southern cuisine. Together, these stories and the delicious recipes that accompany them celebrate the rich and ever-evolving heritage of Southern cooking.
Georgia-born French-trained Chef Virginia Willis has made chocolate chip cookies with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, foraged for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvested capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, and beguiled celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Morgan Freeman, and Aretha Franklin with her cooking – but it all started in her grandmother’s country kitchen.
Virginia is the author of Lighten Up, Y’all, Bon Appétit, Y’all, and Basic to Brilliant, Y’all. Lighten Up, Y’all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome received a 2016 James Beard Foundation Award of Excellence. The former TV kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living, Bobby Flay, and Nathalie Dupree, she worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and traveled the world producing food stories – from making cheese in California to escargot farming in France. She has appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, Fox Family and Friends, Martha Stewart Living, and as a judge on Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
She is author of the popular column “Cooking with Virginia” for Southern Kitchen and Editor at Large for Southern Living. The Chicago Tribune praised her as one of “Seven Food Writers You Need to Know.” Her legion of fans loves her down-to-earth attitude and approachable spirit.
Saturday, June 16th at 5:50pm until….
Chatham Literacy Scrabble Fundraiser at the Chatham County Agriculture and Commerce Building
Chatham Literacy is up to another event challenge…that’s right. This time, a Scrabble event….with live music by Tracy Lynn and Dave Smith, dinner catered by 39 West, bucket raffle items, and of course….Scrabble games that you can play on your own or in a team…..prizes will be EARNED.
Scrabble Games needed:
Chatham Literacy is holding its first ever Scrabble Tournament fundraising event on June 16th, from 5:30 – 10 pm, at the Chatham County Agricultural & Conference Center in Pittsboro, NC. Chatham Literacy, a non-profit organization celebrating its 10th year anniversary, provides services to adults living or working in Chatham County helping them achieve the educational and literacy skills necessary to succeed in society.
We are looking for people with Scrabble Games who would be willing to loan them for this charity event. If you would be interested in loaning your Scrabble game please contact Vicki Newell at vicki@chathamliteracy.org. I will make arrangements to pick up your game by June 10th and return it within one week after the event on the 16th.
Scrabble Players needed:
Interested in playing in the Scrabble event, either as an individual or as a team? All you have to do is register online by clicking here. The evening will include dinner, live music, a bucket raffle, and of course Scrabble. You get all of that for a $30 donation. Not interested in playing, but want to observe and support the fun? You can do that as well for a $20 donation, which includes dinner.
We hope you will support us in some way for our first Scrabble event, which we intend to be the first of many. Help us make this a memorable event!
SUNDAY, JUNE 17TH IS FATHER’S DAY
In case you missed the bulletin. We have cards and books and some fun items just for Dad!
Saturday, June 23rd at 11am
Yoga Frog by Nora Carpenter
Learn Kid-Friendly Yoga Poses with a Meditative, Mindful Frog
For fans of Yoga Bunny and I Am Yoga, Yoga Frog’s simple, meditative text is complemented by playful yet instructive illustrations by Mark Chambers to teach youngsters how to start their very own yoga practice – and to have fun while doing so, too. Nora Carpenter will be here to read and demonstrate some poses.
Saturday, June 23rd at 2pm
Renée Ahdieh, author of Smoke in the Sun, in conversation with authors S. Jae-Jones and Roshani Chokshi
The first 25 people to buy their copy of Smoke in the Sun from McIntyre’s will be invited to an exclusive photo op with Renée and cupcake reception before the reading. Call McIntyre’s to place your order now! 919.542.3030
The highly anticipated sequel to New York Times bestselling Flame in the Mist – an addictive, sumptuous finale that will leave readers breathless from the bestselling author of The Wrath and The Dawn.
Renée Ahdieh is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger. She is a graduate of UNC-CH and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their tiny overlord of a dog.
Sunday, June 24th at 2pm
Middle Grade Book Club
discusses Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm
Join McIntyre’s children’s bookseller Anna Shartzer as she leads a summer books club for kids ages 8-12. This club guarantees fun, friends, crafts, snacks and great book talk. Receive 20% off the selected title.
All the best from the usual suspects:
Pete, Sarah, Mouse, Billy, Johanna, Anna, Kelley, Hazel and Keebe